A Cause for Concern
by jublke
Summary: Han is sick and Leia takes care of him. Hurt/comfort Han & Leia style: hurt/comfort/argue. AU. [not complete]
1. Chapter 1

This piece is set between ANH and ESB, about four months after my piece _Luke's First Diplomatic Mission_. It builds on that one, but you don't need to have read it to understand this story. However, unlike my previous story, this one doesn't have a plot yet. It's just hurt/comfort Han & Leia style, which I am dubbing hurt/comfort/argue. AU.

This story is a work of fan-fiction. _Star Wars_ and its related characters were conceived by George Lucas and are now owned by Disney. I don't own any of this.

My thanks to my son for beta-reading this for me. Any remaining mistakes are mine. If you see something that's wrong in canon or could be better explained using the EU, please drop me a line.

Thanks for reading!

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"L-Leia?"

"Han?" Every fiber of her being went on high alert at the sound of his voice. She squinted at her comlink in the dark. It was always dark in her quarters on Hoth, but since Han's comm had woken her from a sound sleep, it had to be the middle of the night. "What's wrong? Where are you?"

He didn't respond at first and Leia could hear her heart thudding in her chest. "_Falcon_," he finally ground out with a wince. "Can you - "

"I'm coming over right now." Leia sprang out of bed, tugging her boots over her pajamas and grabbing her thick, fur-lined parka. "Leave the ramp of the ship down for me," she ordered.

Only emergency lighting illuminated the halls, but Leia had memorized the layout of Echo Base in the months that they'd been stationed there. She knew it would take her another five minutes to reach Han's ship and her mind used the time to flash through one disturbing scenario after another: Han covered in blood, the pirate trapped under something heavy, Darth Vader Force-choking him. As she hurried, her mind registered that Chewbacca was recovering in the med lab from minor surgery on his paw. Which meant that, whatever was wrong, Han was alone. She ran faster. Had he comm'ed her first? More than likely, he'd tried to reach Luke, but the farmboy was known to be a sound sleeper.

She skidded to a halt at the ramp of his ship and breathed a sigh of relief that he'd left it open for her. Whatever was wrong, he was able to follow directions and still mobile enough to execute them. Running up the ramp, she palmed it closed as soon as she was aboard the _Falcon_. "Han? Where are you?"

"'Fresher," he replied weakly, his voice hoarse. There was the unmistakable sound of retching.

She found Han in a heap on the floor of the refresher, barefoot and clad in a loose-fitting tan tunic and pants, pale and agitated. Her brain registered that she'd never seen him out of his typical space pirate garb before and the change was nice. Shaking the irrelevant thought away, she knelt before him and placed a palm against his sweaty forehead. No fever.

He grabbed her arm with an ice-cold hand. "Th-thank you for coming." Her heart stilled. If he was thanking her, something was very wrong.

Giving him a terse nod, she stood, all business. "Where's your medpack?"

Han looked at her blankly for a minute before answering. "Uh ... galley. By the ... by the fire extinguisher." He closed his eyes.

Leia hurried to the galley, scanned the shelves, and grabbed the medpack and a bottle of bactade. When she reentered the fresher, Han had managed to sit up.

She opened the bottle of bactade and thrust it into his hands. "Sip this." He made a face, but did as instructed.

Finding the medisensor, she sat by him and moved the wand in slow arcs over his entire body. Frowning at the results, she reset the scanner. "That can't be right." She began a second scan.

"What'd it say?" He looked at her with bleary eyes.

Leia frowned at the results again. "It says you have a migraine headache. Nothing else." As Han nodded, she felt her stomach twist in sympathy. "They make you this sick?"

"Sometimes." He leaned against her and closed his eyes. Without realizing what she was doing, Leia began to stroke his hair.

She thought back four months to Luke's first diplomatic mission, the one where he'd rushed Han to a medcenter for what turned out to be a migraine. She had thought Luke's reaction overkill at the time, but now she understood exactly how he must have felt. Normally, Han was so strong and independent. Seeing him like this brought out her fiercest protective instincts.

"Can you walk? I think we should get you to the med lab."

He shook his head, not bothering to open his eyes. "No med lab. Just sleep." He slumped further into her lap and she began to rub his back. Noting the tension in his muscles, she concentrated on the tightest ones near his neck. He started to relax under her fingers, breathing deeply.

Using her other hand, she checked the readout from the medisensor again. "Have you taken any pain medication?"

He shook his head. "Pain ... got ahead of me. Thought I could sleep it off ... without meds," he mumbled.

It occurred to Leia that if Chewie had been there, the big Wookiee wouldn't have let things get this far. He would have made Han take his medicine sooner. Leia shook her head. Just like a little boy, she thought, stroking his shoulders. She remembered then that Chewbacca had been absent during Luke's mission as well. Was there a correlation? If Han's headaches were treated early enough, could the severity be reduced? Just how often did he get these migraines anyway? Or did she and Luke somehow manage to be present for his last two?

She fumbled though the medpack, looking for anything relevant. In addition to over-the-counter painkiller, she found two small vials with the name Vyyk Draygo pasted on them. They had been dispensed four months ago at a medcenter in Capstone, Calito. Leia's eyebrows raised, remembering Han saying something about keeping his intake records out of the medcenter database during that mission. She mentally filed his alias away to research later. To her relief, she found both vials nearly full, implying that Han/Vyyk had been migraine-free since then. Cross-checking the dispensing instructions against the medisensor, she felt confident in handing him one tablet from each of the small bottles. Her relief was palpable when he swallowed them with a sip of bactade and managed to keep the medication down. She could follow up with over-the-counter painkiller in a few hours if needed.

"Thanks, sweetheart," he mumbled. It was the first time she could ever remember him using the endearment where it sounded endearing.

They stayed on the floor of the refresher for some time: Princess Leia cross-legged with Han's head resting in her lap as she rubbed his back; Han sprawled out on the floor beside her. When she felt reasonably certain that the medicine would stay down and he was no longer at risk of throwing it up, she nudged him.

"Han?"

"Mmm?" His hazel eyes fluttered but didn't open.

"Let's get you into bed." She eased him into a sitting position, noting that his limbs were heavy and limp from the effects of the medicine.

He blinked at her unsteadily. "Wha ... Why are you wearing your coat? Are you sick too?"

She laughed gently. "I forgot to take it off when I got here. Don't worry about me." Leia helped him to stand and guided him to the captain's quarters. After he had flopped down face first on the bed, she asked, "How are you feeling? Do you need anything else?"

Han spoke into the pillow. "Iced bacta'd be good."

By the time she had returned with two cold bacta patches, he appeared to be asleep. She placed one on the back of his neck, the other over his forehead. Then she turned down the lights in his quarters, intending to tiptoe down the hall to the lounge. Yawning, she glanced at the chrono on Han's nightstand. She'd best send a note to High Command that she'd be unavailable for work tomorrow. Maybe she'd check off Han's status on the duty roster as well.

"Good night, Han," she whispered.

His words were nearly inaudible. "Stay ... me."

"What?"

"Please ... don't leave. Need ... you," he mumbled.

Leia couldn't ever remember hearing the pirate use the word please. He'd already shocked her twice tonight by thanking her. She walked over to the side of his bed and ruffled his hair. "I'll be right back."

After sending two com-notes, Leia scrounged around the ship, searching for spare blankets and a pillow. Finally finding a slightly dusty set of linens, she crept back into Han's room and made herself a pallet on the floor. Wearily, she dropped onto the makeshift bed, slipped out of her parka, and used it as a blanket.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the reviews, Guest, StatsGrandma57, Book girl fan, EsmeAmelia, and jeanmarie3. Now, on to the arguments! ;)

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It wasn't until Princess Leia Organa awoke the next morning on the floor of Han's cabin that she realized what a predicament she was in. _I'm trapped in Captain Solo's ship with no change of clothes! Oh, the Rogues will talk!_

She rolled over to find that Han was gone. Before she could begin to worry, he burst back in, freshly washed and dressed in his normal spacer's attire, sans boots. As he sat on his bed to pull on his footwear, he gave her a slight smile. "Sleep all right? You know, there's plenty of room here in my bed." His smile veered toward a leer as he patted the mattress.

Princess Leia pulled the covers over her pastel pink pajamas, realizing that at some point during the night, he had covered her with his blanket. "You were in no condition to care last night, Captain," she said crisply. Then, she added, "You seem to be feeling better. Where are you going?"

"I have a meeting with Rieekan this morning," Han replied, tugging on one boot. "Which I'm late for. Chewie gets released today and we're leaving on a supply run this afternoon."

"No, you're not."

Han paused, the other boot in hand. "What? Why not?"

Leia sat up and caught his gaze. "I sent Rieekan a note last night that you were ill and that you would be unable to fulfill your duties today."

Han looked like he wanted to strike her. "You did WHAT?" He stood up wearing only one boot and began to pace around the cabin. The effect would have been amusing if not for the scowl on his face.

She stood to face him. "Han, be reasonable. You were on the floor of the refresher throwing up not six standard hours ago."

"I'm fine." As he glared at her, she noticed the pallor of his skin and the dark circles under his eyes. The man did not look fine to her. "Maybe I can catch him at the Command Center and explain that you made a mistake." He sat down and pulled on the other boot.

"I most certainly did not make a mistake, Captain," Leia insisted. "Let's not forget, you were so ill that you called me here in the middle of the night."

"And you came running right over in your cute little pink pajamas. Nice to know how you really feel about me, your royalness." He stood and smirked at her, setting her blood to boil. She reached down, grabbed the blanket from her pallet on the floor, and covered her pajamas with it like a shawl. _This man is incorrigible!_

He wagged a finger in her face, all traces of humor gone. "But since we're not married yet, stop trying to run my life."

"I have no intention of ever marrying you, Vyyk Draygo," Princess Leia snapped. "Or whatever your name really is."

If it was possible, Han grew even paler. Putting a hand to his forehead, he growled out, "Where did you hear that name?"

Her return smile was smug. "On the pill bottles in your medpack. You're due for another dose if you need it."

He glared at her. "THAT'S the medicine you gave me?"

Nonplussed, she blinked at him, worry filling her heart despite his obnoxious behavior. "It is yours, isn't it?" she asked with concern. It had never occurred to her that the little pill bottles might belong to someone else.

Sighing, he dropped back down on the bed and put his head into his hands. "I can't fly for 24 standard hours after taking it."

"I didn't know." Her words were contrite as she sat next to him. "You were so ill, Han, and you refused to go to the med lab. What did you expect me to do?" She tentatively touched his arm.

His shoulders slumped further. "I don't know." Raising his head to look at her, he asked, "What did you tell Rieekan?"

"I said you had symptoms consistent with stomach flu." He nodded and looked away. "You really need to tell him, Han. I saw that you completed a lengthy reconnaissance yesterday. If extreme cold aggravates your migraines, you shouldn't be outdoors on Hoth."

"By your logic, I shouldn't fly day trips with multiple jumps through hyperspace either," he replied bitterly, pulling away from her to stand. "Not that it's any of your damn business, your worshipfulness, but I don't get migraines very often." He glared at her and folded his arms. "But maybe you'd like to dictate where and how I do my job. Can I work on the _Falcon_ today?" He mimicked her voice. "_Oh, no, Han honey, you might hit yourself on the head with a hydrospanner. You should take inventory instead_." His voice returned to normal, imbued with a barely controlled fury. "Or would that be too hard for me, too?"

"You. Are. Impossible," she hissed back. With his blanket still wrapped around her, Leia grabbed her comlink and stormed toward the refresher.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks to EsmeAmelia, Book girl fan, and BitShortForAStormtrooper for your comments! Well, I had an idea for how to inject some plot into this thing ... still not sure how it's going to end ... Enjoy!

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Princess Leia Organa sat on Han's blanket on the floor of the refresher of the _Millennium Falcon_ wearing only her frilly nightclothes and wondered how she had gotten herself into this predicament. Captain Han Solo was not worthy of causing this indignity. She punched in a number on her comlink, hoping to reach the one person who might be able to help her out of this mess.

"Hey, Leia," Luke's friendly voice answered. "I sure am glad to hear from you. Have you seen Han? He tried to comm me a couple of times last night."

Leia tried not to fume. "Yes, I have seen Captain Solo. He was quite ill last night. That's why I'm calling. I hurried over here in my pajamas and I need a set of clothes from my quarters."

Luke actually had the nerve to laugh. "And you want me to keep this quiet from Rogue Squadron, I take it?" Leia could practically see his eyes dancing.

"I fail to see the humor in this situation," she said, stiffly.

"Is Han all right?" Luke's voice had instantly sobered, and Leia felt a twinge of guilt for making him worry.

"He's better this morning. Back to his usual, incorrigible self." She sighed.

"What was wrong with him?"

She lowered her voice so Han wouldn't overhear, knowing that Luke was the one person she could confide in without worrying about the repercussions of her confession. "Migraine. He was so ill, Luke. I've never seen him like that. I was worried."

"I know," Luke replied.

"He refused to seek medical treatment!" Leia fought to keep her voice low.

"I know," Luke repeated, sighing. "He's got it in his head that if he ever seeks treatment for ... uh ... you know ... that no one will want to fly with him."

"It's far more dangerous now, with him refusing to admit there's a problem! Luke, he was vomiting so hard that he couldn't stand up!"

Luke sighed. "I hear you. Han is the most stubborn person I know." He didn't add that Leia was a close second, but she knew what he was thinking. The sound of his breathing increased as he navigated the halls of Echo Base. "Now how do you want to do this? I'm closing in on the dormitory wing."

"Let me think ... How about I comm C-3PO and he can put together a bundle of my clothes in a package. You can just deliver the package here at the _Falcon_."

"Okay, see you soon." Luke clicked off and Leia put in a comm to the protocol droid. She briefly wondered what the proper protocol was when one found themselves away from home without any clothes.

"Mistress Leia!" The droid sounded relieved. "Thank goodness you are okay! General Rieekan was here this morning looking for you and I had no idea what to tell him."

Leia put her hand to her head and fought for self-control. Yelling at the protocol droid wouldn't help anything, and she needed him to get her some appropriate daytime attire.

"What did you tell him, 3PO?"

"I said that you had left abruptly in the middle of the night after a comm from Captain Solo, and it was my understanding that the Captain had taken ill. I do hope that was all right. I have not been programmed to lie to authority."

Leia breathed a sigh of relief. It could have been worse. Thank the gods she had sent a note to Rieekan in the middle of the night, basically stating the same thing. At least their stories matched up. Although circumstantial evidence still pointed to her running to Han like an over-sexed school girl. And with no med lab records to back up her side of the story, what was the general going to think? She had been so worried about Han that she hadn't even considered how others might see it.

This is all Han's fault, she fumed.

"Mistress Leia?"

She had almost forgotten that the droid was on the other end of the comm. Her mind quickly sifted through the meager options available in her quarters for carrying clothes. There wasn't much to choose from. "Luke will be arriving shortly to pick up a change of clothes for me. I'll need a white dress, an under layer, and leggings. Have the clothes ready to go in my duffel bag."

"Yes, Mistress Leia." She terminated the comm and tried not to think too hard about the golden droid fingering her delicates.

When Leia poked her head out of the refresher, Han was nowhere to be found. She had dared to hope that he had left the ship, but she found him sitting quietly in the lounge, eyes closed, a cup of caf in one hand. He still looked pale and exhausted, and if she hadn't been so angry at him, she might have felt a twinge of concern.

She flopped down next to him on the sofa, still wrapped in his blanket. "Luke is coming over now with my clothes. I'll be out of here as soon as possible."

He opened his eyes to look at her. "Leia - "

There was a sound that she recognized as someone knocking hard against the hull of the _Falcon_. "That's Luke. I'll get it," she said, rising to stand, wearing the blanket wrapped around her body like a sarong. Leia walked to the entry ramp and palmed it open. "General Rieekan!"


	4. Chapter 4

My thanks to Guest, jeanmarie3, and EsmeAmelia. I appreciate the reviews!

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Even with the white surgical mask over the lower half of his face, Leia could read surprise in General Rieekan's eyes.

"I thought you were someone else!" she blurted out, and watched his eyebrows lift even higher.

Luke bounded up the _Falcon_'s entry ramp with Leia's duffel. "Here's your ..." He eyed the general before continuing, "... package." As soon as he had handed the bundle over to Leia, Luke scurried away.

The princess held the duffel over her chest and stared at the floor of the _Millennium Falcon_. She wanted the ship to drop open and swallow her, fluffy pink pajamas and all. The seven hells of Corellia had to be preferable to this.

"General." Han appeared next to her in the entry of the _Falcon_ and extended a hand to Rieekan. "Sorry I had to miss our meeting this morning." He glanced at Leia, standing in her night clothes and his blanket, wide-eyed as a lost nerf. "Why don't you come in?"

After Han had closed the ramp, Rieekan followed him to the lounge, with Leia meekly trailing behind. They sat around the Dejarik table.

"I don't suppose I need this," the general snapped, removing his face mask. "From the tone of Leia's note, I suspected that you had contracted something contagious. When I realized that you hadn't yet visited the med lab, I was concerned." His annoyance was apparent. "I appear to have over-reacted." He regarded Leia with an impatient glare.

"General, this isn't how it looks - " Leia started.

Rieekan held up a hand. "Far be it from me to get involved in the love lives of my personnel," he said, as Leia blushed and Han suppressed a snort. "But when your behavior leads to missed meetings and cancelled supply runs, I have to say something." He glowered at both of them in turn. "Your lack of professionalism is simply appalling. I expected better. From both of you." He rose to leave.

"Uh, General." Han stood to face him. "You seem to have gotten the wrong impression here. I know what this must look like, but trust me, nothing happened."

Please, Han, Leia implored silently from the lounge sofa, please don't make this worse.

The general eyed Han with outright skepticism. "You seem to have made a miraculous recovery, Captain Solo." As Han stared at his boots, Rieekan moved toward the entry ramp. "Good day, Captain. Princess Leia." The general stood stiffly in the hallway, waiting for Han to lower the ramp.

Leia couldn't look at Han or General Rieekan. She remained riveted to the lounge sofa, wishing she could hide beneath the cushions. My father would be so disappointed in me, she thought. How can I ever face the High Council again?

She was so lost in her thoughts that she almost missed Han's next words. "General, there's something else we need to discuss. Can you come back to the lounge?"

Leia took this as her cue to rush down the hall with her clothes. She stood in the captain's quarters - What did it matter now if Rieekan saw her enter Han's room? - and quickly changed into her proper attire. She was about to walk back into the lounge when she heard Han's voice. Curious as to what he might say, she stopped just inside the doorway and listened.

"Sir, Leia didn't do anything wrong. She doesn't deserve to be treated like this." The princess was surprised by the formality of his tone. Han was clearly reining in his temper.

There was a pause before the general replied. "I appreciate that you have feelings for her, Captain Solo, but I still expect better."

"You couldn't ask for a better friend than Leia," Han argued, his anger now evident. "She dropped everything to come over here last night because I was so sick I could barely talk. She didn't know what was wrong with me. She just ran over here as fast as she could. Don't you think if we were sleeping together she would have thought to bring a change of clothes?"

"She sent me a note stating that you had some sort of severe stomach ailment, Captain Solo. As I said, you seem to have made a marvelous recovery." The doubt in his tone was evident.

There was a long pause, so long that Leia thought Han wasn't going to answer. Finally, in a soft voice, he replied, "I had a bad headache, General. It was severe enough that I felt dizzy and threw up. I asked her not to say anything."

Rieekan was silent for a long time. "I see," he finally responded. "And how often do you get these headaches?"

Leia could hear the tension in Han's reply. "Not ... not very often."

The tone of the older man's voice changed, reflecting a touch of understanding. "But you had one during the Calito mission, didn't you? I always thought there was something missing from Luke's debrief. That's why you two went to a medcenter, isn't it?"

Han's reply was a near whisper. "Yes, sir."

Another long pause. "Have you tried any sort of preventative treatment for your headaches?"

Leia had to listen closely to hear Han's reply. "No."

"Now, in the Imperial Navy, a history of migraines would automatically disqualify you from service." Leia's heart skipped a beat.

"I'm well aware of that, General." Han's voice was strained.

"However, son, we aren't the Imperial Navy. We need every pilot we can get, and you're one of our best. I'm gonna have to ground you from running supplies until we can figure out a preventative treatment for your headaches. That will involve a painful week or two with the med droids, but it'll be worth it, Han. There are some effective drugs out there now, and once we find one that works for you, you'll be migraine-free and ready to fly again."

"Or I can leave."

"Suit yourself, son, but I really hope you'll stay on with us. It's been a pleasure working with you."

Listening at the doorway of the captain's quarters, Leia blinked back tears. This was not how things were supposed to go. She could hear the men shaking hands, wrapping up their conversation. She wanted to run out and explain that Han was mistaken, he was covering up for her, they really were having a covert love affair. Anything to keep the sad tone out of Han's voice. Anything to make him stay.

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Author's note: No, there's no magic pill (yet) in our universe that effectively and permanently takes away migraines. But a girl can dream, can't she?


	5. Chapter 5

I appreciate the reviews, MrsScruffyNerfherder and jeanmarie3! Thanks to everyone for reading.

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"So, then what happened?" Luke asked, taking a gulp of blue milk and wiping his mouth with his sleeve. He was sitting across the table from Leia in their favorite corner of the mess hall. Thankfully, the great room was nearly empty. Leia tried not to notice the curious stares directed at them by the few remaining patrons, but it was difficult. She had already torn down the giant flimsiplast posters that had formerly graced every wall, with disturbingly inappropriate titles like _Shriekin' With Rieekan_, _Caught By A Scoundrel_, and _Solo No More_. The holographs of her with Han and the general, her pink pajamas and wide eyes emphasized in each one, were now in the trash. Rogue Squadron had certainly been busy.

Leaning close, Leia whispered, "After General Rieekan left, Han threw me out. He practically tossed me off of his ship."

"Is he going to the med lab for testing?" Like Leia, Luke kept his voice low.

She shrugged. "I don't know. He never said. He wouldn't tell me anything."

"Do you think he's going to leave?"

Leia threw her hands in the air. "I have no idea." As she lowered her arms to take a sip of tea, she noticed a very harried golden protocol droid running in her direction.

"Mistress Leia? Mistress Leia!"

The princess rolled her eyes at Luke, but she tried to respond politely. "Yes, C-3PO?"

The droid arrived at their table, clearly flustered. "Mistress Leia! Chewbacca the Wookiee is sitting in your quarters. He simply refuses to leave until he can speak with you." Leia and Luke shared a concerned glance. C-3PO didn't seem to notice. He babbled on, "I told him that it was very rude to barge into your chambers like that, and - "

Leia put a hand on the droid to still him. "It's all right. You did the best you could." She stood to join him. "We'd better go see what he wants." After placing their cups in the recycler, Luke followed suit.

The trio arrived at Leia's quarters to find Chewie sitting on her bed, fur ruffled, clearly in distress. He howled loudly at their arrival and gave Luke and Leia each a rough hug.

C-3PO translated. "Chewbacca says that Captain Solo is planning to leave immediately, as soon as his ship is deemed space worthy and General Rieekan grants him clearance. But Chewbacca does not think this is a wise decision."

"Did he say why?" Luke asked.

Chewie growled and waved his paws for emphasis. The right one was still bandaged from his recent surgery.

"Oh, my," the droid fussed. "He says that Captain Solo has been lying to everyone about the frequency and severity of his headaches. Chewbacca is very concerned about him."

Leia grabbed Luke's arm. "I don't like the sound of that either," Luke agreed, looking at her. He gave her hand a quick squeeze.

Chewie whined and growled, baring his fangs.

"Chewbacca says that he tried to talk Captain Solo into seeking medical treatment here, but the captain has refused."

Luke focused on Chewie. "Do you know why Han won't go in for testing?" The Wookiee nodded and growled; Luke looked to C-3PO for clarification.

"Captain Solo has told Chewbacca that testing would be a waste of time because he's tried nearly every treatment available for his headaches." C-3PO appeared to ponder this for a moment. "Captain Solo did procure a number of illicit drugs as a spice runner. I suppose that he would have had access to - "

Luke interrupted the golden droid, studying the Wookiee. "But you don't believe that, do you, Chewie?"

The Wookiee shook his head and patted Luke's arm. His corresponding whines made the hairs on the back of Leia's neck stand on end.

C-3PO spoke slowly. "Chewbacca thinks that Captain Solo is frightened. The captain has suffered from migraines for as long as Chewbacca has known him, but the headaches have grown worse and more frequent over time. Captain Solo used to have severe headaches once or twice per standard year. Since his arrival on Hoth, however, the captain has had a migraine once or twice every standard week." The droid's voice dropped. "Oh, dear."

Leia shook her head. "That's not possible. We would have known. He gets so violently ill."

"Probably if he rests when the headache first hits and takes something over-the-counter right away, he doesn't get as sick as he did with us," Luke reasoned. "When he said he didn't get migraines all that often, I'll bet he was only counting the times when the pain was disabling." Luke looked at Chewbacca intently. "You've been helping him to cope with this, haven't you?"

Chewie nodded and whimpered; C-3PO interpreted. "Chewbacca says that the captain is not coping well any more. His use of painkillers is frequent and his alcohol consumption has increased. Chewbacca fears for his health."

The Wookiee gestured at the door and growled. Leia touched the big beast on the arm. "You want us to go with you and talk some sense into that nerfherder?" Chewie released a happy howl and crushed the two humans and one humanoid into a group hug.

The odd group left Leia's chambers and headed straight for the _Falcon_, eliciting a few giggles from hidden passersby as they left the dormitory wing together. Leia wondered what hologram titles the Rogues would think up next: _Wookiee Nooky_, _Droid Dreams_, _Heating Up Hoth_. She tried to erase the corresponding images from her mind.

As soon as they entered the hangar where the _Millennium Falcon_ was docked, Chewbacca let loose a terrifying growl.

Han, working on the underbelly of the ship, responded without turning around. "Nice to see you, too, pal. I knew you'd come back."

Chewbacca bared his fangs and responded with a series of sharp barks and grunts. "Oh, dear," C-3PO whispered. "I don't think Captain Solo is going to like that."

Han whirled on the big Wookiee, hydrospanner in hand. "Whatdya mean, you refuse to fly with me in my condition?" As soon as the words had left Han's mouth, his gaze fell upon Leia and Luke, standing on either side of the Wookiee. "Kest, Chewie! What in kriff do you think you're doing, dragging them into this?" He swore a colorful diatribe in Huttese and threw the hydrospanner so hard that it dented the hull of the ship before clattering to the ground.

Chewbacca put his large furry paws on his friends' shoulders and growled at the captain. Leia didn't need a translation. "Chewie told us what's been going on, Han," she said. "He's very worried about you." She shared a glance with Luke. "We're worried about you, too."

"Don't!" Han ordered Leia. "And you, pal," he snapped at the Wookiee, pointing at Chewie and then himself, "owe a life-debt to ME. That means where I go, you go. And I say, we're outta here."

"Han, don't you think - " Luke began, taking a step toward him.

"This is none of your business, junior," Han snapped, a dangerous edge to his voice. "Stay out of it!" He stormed aboard the _Falcon_ and clanged the entry ramp closed. There was an electronic whine as the gears of the door lock set in place.

"Well, that went well," Leia said, drily.

Chewbacca howled in frustration. Luke patted him on the arm. "You can stay with me for awhile, Chewie. We'll try to talk some sense in him again tomorrow. Leia, you mind if we borrow C-3PO tonight?"

She shook her head, smiling inwardly at the thought of ridding herself of the protocol droid for a few hours. "Nope, he's all yours."


	6. Chapter 6

EsmeAmelia: Thanks for your comment. I also thought Han & Leia could use a little more alone time. My only concern with this chapter is that letting them get this close now implies a fight later if I try to keep to canon. But I wanted to see if Leia could comfort Han when he was upset ...

* * *

Princess Leia Organa couldn't sleep. She attempted to divert her thoughts, tried to think of anything besides him, but after three hours with no success, she gave up the pretense. Her mind simply would not rest. Checking her comlink once again, she found no evidence of any missed comms and no new messages. Clearly, he's avoiding me, she thought, and if I had the intelligence of a nerf, I'd leave him alone. I must be insane.

She got up and changed into her day clothes - no way she was making that mistake again - and left her quarters. Despite the late hour, she wasn't entirely surprised to find Luke when she arrived in the hangar of Echo Base. The young man appeared forlorn, walking down the _Millennium Falcon_'s entry ramp with his head bowed.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

Luke thrust a shoulder toward Han's ship. "Chewie couldn't sleep, so I brought him home. I thought maybe I'd talk some sense into Han while I had the chance."

"How'd it go? Did you convince him to go to the med lab?"

Luke shook his head. "He's beyond reason."

Leia gave Luke a quick hug before he walked away. She moved cautiously toward the ship, a sense of trepidation clinging to her like a bad odor. "Han?" she called up the open ramp.

The captain appeared in the doorway, disheveled but alert. "Are you here to lecture me, too?" He folded his arms and glared down at her.

Leia shook her head and held her arms open wide, palm side up, in a placating gesture. "No. I couldn't sleep. You wouldn't return my comms."

Han turned away, but gestured for her to follow him. After closing the ramp, he led Leia into the lounge. Sliding under the Dejarik table, he offered her a glass to match his. "Care for some brandy, your highnessness?"

Given Chewie's earlier comment about Han's drinking, Leia eyed the half-open bottle as she sat on the lounge sofa. "No, thank you," she said primly. How much has he had to drink? she wondered. He seems perfectly lucid.

"Suit yourself," Han shot back at her, taking a slug of liquor. He set the glass down with a clunk. "So, spill it. I'll bet you can lay an even heavier guilt trip than Luke. Go for it. Tell me what a selfish barve I am." His hostile face wore a fiercely guarded expression.

"I just needed to know you were okay," Leia said softly, and watched as his mask crumbled. Her eyes caught his and she held his gaze briefly before he broke off contact.

"Well, I'm not," he admitted heavily, looking away. The eyes he finally raised to her were bloodshot and vulnerable. Her heart twisted, and she found herself inching toward him until they were sitting side by side on the lounge cushions.

"How are you feeling?" she asked quietly. She tentatively extended a hand toward him, and Han laced his fingers through hers.

"Like a nerfherder," he admitted. "I was really hard on the kid." He dropped her hand and folded his arms across his chest.

"What did you do?" Leia's protective streak extended to Luke and she found her anger rising. When he didn't answer, she pressed, "You did apologize, right?"

Han held up a hand to silence her as he activated his comlink. "Hey, Luke," he said, when the other man picked up. "I ... uh ... just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry. I was outta line." Han broke into a brief smile when the younger man forgave him, saying they could talk more tomorrow. Only after Luke had clicked off did Han turn back to Leia.

"Yes, I apologized. Let's just say I didn't throw anything at him. But I came pretty close."

Leia shook her head. "All that because he cares about you?"

Han shrugged and took another sip of brandy. "I don't like people tellin' me what to do."

"So me, Chewie, General Rieekan, Luke ... it's not because we're trying to help you, it's because we want to control you?"

"Something like that." Han stretched his legs. "When you live with a bounty on your head, you learn to never stay in one place too long. If things get complicated, it's time to go." He spun the glass through his fingers. "It's been a long time since ... " Han's voice trailed off and he started to fidget.

She placed a hand on his knee to still him. "Since what?"

"... since I had friends who really care about me." She squeezed his leg and he snuggled closer to her, slouching over to rest his head on her shoulder.

It wasn't long before Han was snoring, his head in Leia's lap. For a long time, she sat and watched him by the dim glow of the _Millennium Falcon_'s emergency lighting. Han looked younger when he was asleep and far more vulnerable.

She remembered the first time she had met the captain and had accused him of taking care of no one but himself. It hadn't occurred to her then that the flip side of that statement was also true - Han didn't let anyone else care for him either. A quirk of fate had brought Chewbacca into Han's life, but it wasn't until his ill-fated trip to Alderaan that the smuggler had started to let people in. Leia knew that was mostly due to Luke - his warm and trusting nature brought out the best in people. But Han had begun to trust her too. What did that mean? Did he see her as a friend or more than a friend?

Right now, she decided, it doesn't matter. Han needs me.

Easing his head from her lap and onto a lounge cushion, she stood up and stretched before heading into Han's quarters. Standing over his bed, she picked up his pillow and the faded blanket she had worn over her nightclothes just that morning. Funny how much stronger she felt now in her regal white dress than she had in her fluffy pink pajamas.

Leia crept back into the lounge. Han was stirring in his sleep, moaning piteously. She placed the pillow under his head and draped the blanket over him. His arms began to flail as his cries grew louder.

She grabbed him by his shoulders and shook him. "Han! Wake up! You're having a nightmare," she said, sitting on the sofa beside him.

Bleary eyes blinked back at her. "Where's my mother?"

After she had recovered from the shock of that question, Leia felt her own eyes prickle with tears. So many nights she woke up just like that, all alone and confused, missing her father more than ever. She tried to think of something comforting to say, something that she herself would want to hear. "She's not here right now, Han honey, but she loves you. Go back to sleep."

"Leia?" Han queried. He sounded slightly more alert, but still disoriented.

"I'm right here." She reached for his hand, but Han clung to her, wrapping his arms tightly around her small frame.

"Will you stay here tonight?" he whispered. "Just to keep me company? I promise to behave."

"Of course," she said, breaking out of his embrace to look at him. To lighten the mood, she added, "I'll take your room."

He nodded in all seriousness. "The extra linens you used last night are on my dresser."

And that's how Princess Leia Organa found herself spending a second night aboard the _Millennium Falcon_.


	7. Chapter 7

Thanks for the comments, chibijem, Freshman11, MultiFandomGirl1424, violetkitty, MrsScruffyNerfherder, and EsmeAmelia. :)

* * *

Two things crossed Leia Organa's mind as she awoke tangled in Han's spare sheets on his bunk in the _Millennium Falcon_. The first: Han had been true to his word and hadn't touched her once during the night. The second flitted in and out of her mind so fast that she almost missed it: _I wish he had._

She shook her head in order to clear it. _Where did that come from? Han is my friend, same as Luke._

But no matter how hard she tried to convince herself, the two always fell into different categories. Luke was a boy. Han was a man. Luke was sweet, fun, and sensitive, everything she should want in a boyfriend. Han was not. And yet ...

There was something alluring, something mystical and seductive about the pirate. Leia never quite knew where she stood with him, which kept her on her toes.

_Why didn't he ravish me last night? I'm hotter than most of the one-night stands he hooks up with._

_Leia, get a grip_, she chided herself. _The man is ill. Besides, if he had attempted to bed me after promising he wouldn't, I'd have killed him._

As she pulled herself free from the knot of covers, Han burst in carrying a tray laden with tea and an assortment of delightfully-scented dishes. "Don't get up yet, your highnessness," he said with a lopsided grin. "I made breakfast." He stood before her in a simple tan tunic and pants, waiting to present the feast to her. Leia caught a whiff of spicy nerf sausage and wastril bread.

She gave him a shy smile, touched by his thoughtful gesture. "I didn't know you could cook."

"Dewlanna taught me," he said, as he set the tray in her lap. Seeing the confusion in her eyes, he added, "She was like a mother to me growing up." He shrugged, appearing slightly bashful.

The word "mother" caught Leia's attention and reminded her of Han's nightmare the previous night. He so rarely spoke of his childhood; this might be the only opening she had. "Was she similar to your mother?"

Han laughed. "Dewlanna was a Wookiee." As his laugher died, he added in a sober tone, "She was a good being. She took better care of me than my biological mother did." His voice slowed, stalled. He fumbled over his next words. "I don't ... I don't remember my mother. She died when I was five." A shadow crossed his face, and Leia could see Han retreating behind the mask he wore far too often. She was sorry she had asked the question.

"How are you feeling?" she asked around a bite of gartro eggs. Han was wearing the same clothing she'd seen him in when she found him throwing up on the floor of the refresher. Did he wear a certain outfit when he felt ill? There were so many things she didn't know about the pirate.

Han sighed and sat on the foot of his bed. "I comm'ed Rieekan this morning." He looked away and folded his arms over his chest. Leia swallowed her food and waited for him to continue, but he didn't add anything else.

"You have another migraine, don't you?" she asked, setting the tray aside and reaching for him. He sighed heavily again, confirming her suspicions, but didn't move. She crawled out of the bedding and sat next to him, wrapping an arm around his waist.

He dropped a hand on her shoulder. "I can't live like this any more," he admitted quietly. "Luke is right. It's not fair to Chewie. He's afraid to leave me alone." He withdrew his hand and tried to pull away, but Leia held him tight. "I told Rieekan to schedule the testing. I'm gonna be admitted to the med lab this morning. Luke offered to go with me." Leia fought an irrational surge of jealousy that Han had turned to Luke for help instead of her. As if Han could read her mind, he added, "Luke comm'ed me right after I talked to Rieekan. He insisted on coming."

Leia let go of Han so she could see his face. His hazel eyes held a haunted expression, like a man about to attend his own execution. Was he upset about the upcoming medical testing or was he unhappy about feeling so dependent on Luke? Leia couldn't tell. Maybe both. She reached for his hand and he grasped hers back.

"You should finish your breakfast, your worshipfulness," he said, releasing her hand as he rose to stand.

Leia reproached him gently. "You shouldn't have cooked for me if you weren't feeling well."

"Who said I made this spread for you?" He gave her a crooked grin. "I wanted a decent meal before I'm trapped for a week in the med lab."

As he sauntered out, Leia quickly ate the food that Han had prepared. _Most of it,_ she thought as she sipped her tea, _is quite tasty, a definite cut above the mess hall. _But she couldn't stomach the nerf sausage; it was so spicy that it burned her tongue. _Typically Corellian_, she thought. _All bluster and no substance_. The old adage took on an entirely new meaning now that she knew Han. Leia felt guilty that she'd once disregarded a whole planet based upon Alderaani prejudices. How many other inappropriate judgements lurked in her upbringing?

After she'd finished the meal, Leia tackled her hair. Some mornings, she awoke with her braided coil neatly intact. Not so today. Loose strands poked out everywhere; it looked like she'd spent the night rolling around in the sheets. Given how late she'd arrived last night, Luke wouldn't have been surprised to find that she'd stayed over with the captain, but this wasn't the impression she wanted to give. The thought of the young Rebel finding her alone in Han's bedroom wasn't appealing either. As she left Han's cabin, Leia unwound her braid, pulling out the pins and collecting them in her hand. Why hadn't she thought to bring a brush?

She ran her fingers through the long strands to pull them free from the braid. Hair down, she went looking for Han. Leia found him sitting in the lounge, eyes closed, with an iced bacta pack on his forehead and a cup of caf in one hand. Chewie sat nearby and whuffed as she came in. He indicated Han with a tip of his head and then met her gaze, pain and worry apparent in his blue eyes.

Leia shared a concerned look with the Wookiee before speaking. "Don't worry, Chewie. They'll take good care of him at the med lab."

As the Wookiee nodded, Han's eyes blinked open and he sat up. The chilled bacta slid off his face and into his lap. "Hey, your worshipfulness," he drawled. Leia noticed him discretely trying to hide the bacta pack. Was he that embarrassed to show weakness around her, even after she'd seen him at his worst? Apparently, he was. She looked away to give him an opportunity to stow the evidence.

When she returned her gaze to Han, any trace of vulnerability had been carefully tucked away. "You really should wear your hair down more often, your high-and-mighty-ness." He leered at her.

Leia frowned. "I don't suppose you'd have a brush, flyboy. Not like you ever use one."

Han placed his hands over his heart. "You wound me, Princess. But, uh, to be honest, I don't know where one is. Chewie has a bunch, though."

Leia inwardly cringed at the thought of her scalp touching a brush that had run through Wookiee fur. But she wasn't about to give Han Solo the satisfaction of knowing just how uncomfortable she was. Leia appealed to Chewie. "Can I borrow a brush?"

Chewie nodded, and she followed the big Wookiee to his quarters. She wasn't surprised to find the oversized bed covered in mess. But the neat display of combs, brushes, and hair picks on the dresser, combined with nearly every hair and fur taming product known to the galaxy, caught her off-guard. She chose a small brush and some gel before excusing herself to the refresher to plait her hair.

By the time Luke had arrived, Leia was seated in the lounge with Han and Chewie, her hair neatly braided and pinned up, all evidence of her night aboard the _Falcon_ discretely hidden. She hoped.

"You ready?" Luke asked, looking at Han.

His friend took a deep breath and stood up. "Not really," he admitted.

Leia had planned to accompany the two men to the med lab. But looking at them now, she realized that Luke was the right person to help Han get settled. She had the distinct sense that Han might lie to the intake droid about how poorly he was feeling if she was there to listen. "Luke, when do you go on maneuvers? Maybe Chewie or I should visit Han then."

The spacer grumbled. "I'm not an invalid. I do not need round-the-chrono supervision." He glared at his three friends in turn, arms folded, a deep scowl on his face. "This is exactly why I don't wanna do this. You're making too big of a deal out of it."

"I'll comm you," Luke said to Leia and Chewie, ignoring Han's outburst. He gestured at the Corellian and pointed at the entry ramp of the _Falcon_. "Let's go."

As the two men left the ship, Chewbacca wrapped a furry arm around Princess Leia's shoulder and howled, a low mournful noise.

"I know," Leia said, looking up at him. "I feel exactly the same way."


	8. Chapter 8

Thanks for the reviews, Guest, MultiFandomGirl1424, 2Old4This2, and jeanmarie3. :)

jeanmarie3, I like your idea about seeing things from Han's POV, but I probably won't do that with this story, because I gave myself the challenge of sticking with one character's POV for this one.

Well, things were going a little too smoothly for Han & Leia, so ...

* * *

Leia had a bad feeling about this. Rounding the corner of the medical ward, she heard Han yelling down the hall. Although the closed door muffled his exact words, Leia thought she caught a swear word or two. A calmer, softer voice, which Leia recognized as Luke's, replied, followed by an unmistakeable Wookiee snarl. As she approached the room, Luke stepped out, closing the door behind him. He looked frazzled.

"Luke? What's going on?" Leia instinctively reached for him, and he fell into her arms. After a firm hug, she released him. He shook his head and stared at the floor.

"I don't know if this was such a good idea." As Luke chewed his lip, Leia waited him out. "They can't do any testing until Han's body clears the traces of painkillers and alcohol already in his system. He's in a lot of pain from the migraine, but he can only be given certain kinds of drugs right now. He had a bad reaction to the first one they tried." Luke gave Leia a wry smile. "He's already dismantled one medical droid. Thankfully, Chewie came over before Han tried to leave and prevented him doing any more damage. Rieekan threatened to chain Han to the bed, but Chewie said he'd stand guard."

"You look exhausted," Leia said, touching his sallow cheek. "Why don't you get some rest?"

Luke shook his head again. "I've got to go on maneuvers with Rogue Squadron."

"Luke, you can't go on a four hour patrol right now!" Leia folded her arms and regarded him sternly. "I'll talk to General Rieekan. He knows you've been over here with Han."

The blond's shoulders slumped. "I know. He said the same thing when he came by. I just wanted - "

" - to get away for awhile?" Leia finished for him. "Go get some sleep first. It sounds like things can't get any worse here." _I hope_. "I'll stay with Han for now."

Luke gave Leia a genuine smile for the first time during their conversation. "Thanks, Leia." As he walked down the hall, Leia marveled at how well she got along with Luke. Sometimes, it was like she could read his mind. Unlike a certain Corellian ...

Taking a deep breath, she opened the door to Han's room. Chewie looked up from where he was sitting on the floor and gave her a soft whuff in greeting. Even in the dim light, she could tell that Han looked terrible. His face was puffy and swollen, presumably after-effects of the drug reaction, and his lips were twice their usual size. He had a cut over one eye, and Leia found herself wondering how that had happened. Did the medical droid fight back?

Han's eyes were closed. After the story Luke had just shared, Leia knew better than to wake him. She sat in the guest chair and watched him as he slept. Unlike the night on the floor of the refresher, though, this was not Han Solo at rest. His face kept twitching, and every now and then, he'd sigh or moan.

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore and reached out to hold his hand. As his eyes popped open, his entire body jerked upright into a seated position, and he regarded her with wary eyes. "What're you doin' here?" he accused. It was hard for her to understand him, and she wondered if his tongue was swollen as well.

"I came to check on you." She tried the line that had softened his stubbornness before. "I wanted to make sure you were okay."

He laughed mirthlessly. "Do I look okay to you?" Every word was slurred.

"No, but - "

"Just go." He waved her off. "Don' need a babysitter."

"I'm not here to guard you. I want to keep you company."

He shook his head. "Don't want company. Get out." Leia blinked at him and didn't move. "Get out!" he repeated. Chewie growled a warning at him.

"What do I care if the kriffing med droid comes back in here? I'll tear that blinking crink apart, too!" Chewie's warning growl was stronger this time and the Wookiee got into a standing position. "Don't make you do what, you frinking fuzzball?"

Faster than Leia had thought possible, Chewie rushed past her, grabbed Han's wrist, and shackled his arm to the bed. Han lunged at the Wookiee in fury, and Leia barely had time to jump out of the fray. Chewie deftly grabbed Han and held the smaller man at arms length, barely preventing him from unintentionally ripping out the IV line which was connected to his tethered arm.

Han fought and snarled against the furry creature using his free hand. "Take this off me now!"

Chewie shook his head, growled at him, and placed him gently back on the bed.

"I hate you." Han collapsed in place, defeated posture, and cradled his head with his unshackled arm. Chewie howled mournfully. Leia had no idea what to do.


	9. Chapter 9

Thanks for the reviews, freshman11, MultiFandomGirl1424, and EsmeAmelia. :)

freshman11: Thanks for the questions about Han's care. Your concerns inspired this chapter, because I figured Leia would be wondering the same thing.

EsmeAmelia: I think you are right about Han and his mother, but he hasn't told me anything about that yet. :P

Note: I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV. I do, unfortunately, have extensive experience with migraines. Migraine testing, in the manner described at the end of this chapter, does not exist in this universe. Yet. It remains to be seen whether that is a good or bad thing ...

* * *

After collecting her wits, Princess Leia went in search of the medical staff. At the nurses' station, she thrust every one of her royal titles at the Mon Calamari manning the desk and demanded to speak with Han's doctor.

The man who appeared moments later couldn't have appeared less concerned. "Ah, yes, the Corellian," Dr. Regis sniffed. He was a thin man with dark hair; Leia identified his features as Alderaanian. "Not a real member of the Rebel Alliance, is he?"

Leia narrowed her eyes. "What difference does that make?"

"We have a limited number of resources available here, your Highness. We can't be expected to waste them trying to dry out some drunk who doesn't even want to be here." He spoke conspiratorially. "You know how those Corellians are."

Leia spoke more calmly than she had thought possible, given the circumstances. "Who is your superior officer?" As the man stuttered out a name, Leia smiled coldly. "Your services won't be required here any longer. You are on administrative leave. Return to your quarters and remain there until someone comes for you."

"But, your Highness - "

Leia had already turned back to the nurses' station, demanding that the Mon Calamari contact the senior doctor on duty. Leia paced up and down the hall until Dr. Sabrina Algers arrived.

"What seems to be the problem, Princess?" Dr. Algers appeared barely older than Leia. She held a clipboard under her arm as she buttoned her lab coat and brushed the crumbs from her shirt. Apparently, Leia had summoned her during a break.

"I need you to check on a friend of mine, Captain Solo." It was clear to Leia from the woman's expression that she was unfamiliar with Han's case. "He's currently chained to a bed in the east wing." As the woman's eyebrows rose, Leia pressed harder. "Is this the normal standard of care when one of your patients is frightened and in pain?"

"No, of course not," she said. There was a pause before she added, "Unless they are threatening to harm themselves or others. Sometimes temporary restraint is required."

"Captain Solo has an aversion to droids." At this, the woman stalled mid-stride. Leia could see the wheels turning.

"Ah, yes. The violent alcoholic."

Leia grabbed her by the arm. "Look, I don't know what you've heard or who you're getting your information from, but that man in there is suffering from severe migraine headaches. He may have been self-medicating but his primary problem isn't alcoholism. Dr. Regis prescribed something for him that elicited a severe allergic reaction and rendered him violent. He's not normally like this. I demand that you review his chart and prescribe him something to alleviate his suffering."

The two women entered Han's room. The Corellian gazed at them with dull eyes. Dr. Algers spoke in a calm, clear voice as she reviewed his chart. "How are you feeling, Captain Solo?"

Han didn't reply and Leia felt her heart breaking by pieces at the dullness of his expression. Chewie whuffed something from the corner, and Leia was surprised when the doctor nodded.

"What did he say?"

"The medical droid administered a sedative before we came in. Apparently, it was a struggle to keep the droid intact, even with the patient restrained." She touched Leia on the shoulder. "I'm going to prescribe him a central nervous system depressant to help with his anxiety. I appreciate you contacting me. His care has been substandard." She clucked her tongue. "The medication he was given earlier frequently causes severe reactions in Corellians."

Leia swallowed. "I put Dr. Regis out on administrative leave."

The woman nodded. "I concur with that decision. I'll discuss the status of Dr. Regis with Dr. Selooni. Clearly, he shouldn't be interacting with patients." Leia recognized the name of the director of the medical laboratory, and it occurred to her that a meeting with General Rieekan was in order as well. No one deserved to be chained to a bed like an animal, even if they had nearly destroyed a medical droid worth over seventy-five thousand credits.

After Dr. Algers administered the anti-anxiety medication, both woman studied Han, who had drifted back into an uneasy sleep.

"Does he have to be chained to the bed like that?" Leia whispered.

Chewie growled and whuffed lowly from the corner, and the doctor chuckled. "Okay, you've convinced me," she said, softly. "Only human medics for this patient." Chewie gave as close to a grin as he could and leapt up to release Han from the restraint.

"I'll be back to check on him," Dr. Algers assured Leia. "I'd like to get another blood chemistry panel and see where we're at. I suspect that he's been having rebound headaches. That can happen when the body gets used to having a certain amount of medication on a regular basis. If the medicine isn't taken, lack of painkiller can actually trigger the pain." She watched Han as she spoke. "Unfortunately, he's got a rough road ahead of him. Once he's through this hurdle, we still have migraine testing, which is a painful process. We'll be trying to trigger migraines while monitoring the blood flow through his head as well as the electrical impulses of his central nervous system." Leia blanched and Dr. Algers patted her arm. "It will be worth it if we can find a long-term treatment that works."

"If," Leia echoed, looking at Chewie. The big Wookiee met her gaze and shared her sorrowful expression as the doctor left the room.

Once the door had closed behind the doctor, Leia collapsed on Han's guest chair and grabbed his free arm. Holding his limp hand to her face, she whispered, "I'm so sorry, Han." She tried not to cry, but one tear slid down her cheek and ran onto his fingers.


	10. Chapter 10

My thanks to MultiFandomGirl1424, freshman11, jeanmarie3, EsmeAmelia, chibijem, MrsScruffyNerfherder, Book girl fan, and everyone else who has followed, favorited, and commented on this story.

The only good thing about having another migraine is that it inspired a new chapter. Hope you enjoy. :)

* * *

When Leia opened her eyes, she was startled to find that she had somehow fallen asleep in Han's uncomfortable guest chair. A blanket covered her lower body and a cup of now-cold tea sat on the table beside her, indicating that someone had been by earlier to check on Han and had thought to care for her as well. Probably Luke. It was the type of thoughtful gesture she'd come to expect from the farm boy.

Leia tried to gauge how long she'd been out. There was no way to tell time deep in the ice bunker unless a chrono was handy. She remembered sitting beside Han for quite some time after his outburst, watching him while he slept, and she knew she'd eaten her dinner in this chair. After that, her memory was fuzzy.

Turning away from the wall, she found only one other person in the room. Han was sitting up in bed, clear-eyed and awake. "Good morning, your highnessness," he rumbled, giving her a slight smirk. She was so relieved to hear him sounding like himself that she let the nickname slide.

"Han!" Leia jumped up and impulsively gave him a hug before she thought through what she was doing. Touching Captain Solo in public? What was she thinking? The Rogues didn't need any more fodder for their gossip machine or holograph material for their posters. She took a step back. "How're you feeling?" Inspecting him more closely, she asked in alarm, "What did they do to your head?"

Han was wearing what Leia could only describe as a medical crown: a metal circlet ringing his temples. The attached protruding wires plugged into several stationary machines, all of which were cranking out strips of flimsy marked with various readings. Leia marveled at the sheer sight of it. How she had managed to sleep through the installation of this monstrosity boggled her mind.

He reached for her hand. "I heard what you did for me. General Rieekan came down here earlier to apologize on behalf of Echo Base. You got that doctor a week of latrine duty and a permanent transfer to pathology." Han rubbed her knuckles with a calloused thumb. "Thank you." Leia had never heard him sound so sincere, and she could feel her cheeks growing warm. She pulled her hand away.

"It was nothing, really," she murmured, staring at the floor, wondering how this scruffy pirate could render her so bashful. She was a princess, for gods sake, and he wasn't even royalty. But this, Leia was starting to realize, was exactly why she liked him. He didn't put on airs to impress her title. He acted like a nerfherder - like himself - around her and it made her feel ... something. Emotional? More human? Loved.

_Gods, he makes me feel loved. _She swallowed hard and changed the subject. "What's that thing you're wearing? Do I have to crack some more heads around here?"

Han actually laughed at her lame joke and Leia couldn't help but smile back. It was the most relaxed he'd sounded since she had found him on the refresher floor of the _Falcon_. "This is the easy part. Now that they've flushed most of the pain meds outta me, they want to take some readings before they start poking on me again."

"Baseline monitoring," Leia clarified, and Han nodded. "When does the real testing start?"

"A few days. I think they wanted to give me a break to rest up. And I wanted Chewie to have a decent night's sleep." Leia was relieved to hear Han speak so tenderly of his friend; the memory of Chewie restraining Han to avoid his flailing limbs, followed by Han screaming his hate of the Wookiee, came flooding back. She shuddered.

"You need to make sure that they mark down the name of the medicine you're allergic to. That needs to be in your medical records." She shivered again.

"Are you cold?" Han asked, handing her a soft linen. "They keep bringing me heated blankets."

Leia didn't think that she was cold until she wrapped herself in the warmed cloth. "This is nice."

Han smirked and Leia knew that he was about to invite her into his hospital bed. But the expected invitation never came. He raised his eyebrows suggestively and then ... "Ow." He rubbed his forehead. "Guess I can't do that with this monitor on."

"Serves you right."

"What?" he asked, the perfect picture of innocence.

"You know perfectly well what, Captain. You were about to make a lewd reference to us."

He grinned at her. "So we're an us now? I like that."

Her eyebrows knotted. "I never said that."

"Yes, you did." A lazy grin spread across his face. "You said - "

The door burst open and a serving droid arrived, carrying a tray. "Your meal, Captain."

Han took the tray without comment, while Leia goggled at him. As soon as the droid had left, she said, "I thought the doctor agreed to keep droids out of your room."

He shrugged as he took a bite of eggs. "Just the med droids. I don't mind droids too much if they ain't yappin' and they're not pokin' on me." He gestured at the tray. "You want some? It can't compare to the Corellian feast I cooked ya, but it's not too bad."

Leia's stomach growled, and they both laughed. "What time is it, anyway?" she asked as Han handed her a forkful of meat. She hoped it was less spicy than his Corellian nerf sausage.

He shrugged. "Can't tell much in an ice cave. But based on the food they're offerin', I'd say it's morning."

"Morning?" She nearly choked on the food. It belatedly occurred to her that he had greeted her with a reference to morning; she hadn't realized that he had meant that literally. "How long was I asleep?" she asked, handing back his fork.

"Six, eight hours maybe?"

"Eight hours! I haven't slept that long since ..." Her voice drifted off and she crossed her arms protectively.

He stopped eating and stared at her. "Since what?"

"Since Alderaan was destroyed," she whispered, staring at the floor. Leia could feel her eyes growing misty. "I need to go," she said, rising to stand.

"No, you don't," he ordered firmly. "Come here." He set the tray aside and patted the bed beside him. "I promise, I won't bite." Gesturing at all of the medical monitoring equipment, he said, "Look at me! How much more defenseless can I get?" He smiled at her.

Unnerved by the pirate's perception and lonely for companionship, Leia inched her way over and sat tentatively beside him, sniffling and trying hard not to cry.

"It's okay," he soothed, rubbing her back. "It's okay to be human." He stroked her hair away from her face and the tears she'd held onto ever since the Death Star finally fell.

* * *

Author's note: While most of Han's treatment is purely fictional, a headband to treat migraines has been developed in Belgium. According to a recent article in the _Huffington Post_, the device is worn across the forehead and sends electric currents to facial nerves.


	11. Chapter 11

My thanks to StatsGrandma57, Freshman11, 2Old4This2, EsmeAmelia, jeanmarie3, MultiFandomGirl1424, violetkitty, Book girl fan, ccp, MrsScruffyNerfherder, and everyone else who is following along at home. I appreciate the support!

And thanks again to my son for beta-reading. :)

* * *

Leia tried to tell herself that she wasn't actively avoiding Han, that she simply had too much work to do to go and see him, but she was failing miserably at self-deception. Her emotions were running amok; they had been all over the place ever since Han's tender touch had cracked her open three days ago, leaving her fragile and exposed. In her current frame of mind, she did not desire to draw base gossip back to Captain Solo and herself; the Rogues had finally moved on to another target. Leia knew from Luke that Wedge and Janson had been to visit Han; the last thing she wanted was to run into them at the smuggler's bedside. And Luke had reassured her that Han was doing quite well; the doctors had started the first phase of actual testing for his headaches and Han was tolerating the procedure better than anyone had expected.

_Still ... something just doesn't feel right._ Leia couldn't get Han off her mind tonight no matter how hard she tried. She glanced at the chrono in her quarters. It was very late, too late to go to the east wing of the med lab with any hope of not drawing the curious attention of some resident of Echo Base.

_I'll go see him first thing in the morning_, she decided, _when I'm emotionally strong and at my sharpest._ And yet, Leia felt compelled to act now, in her terribly weakened and confused state.

_Something's wrong with Han. I just know it._ She couldn't tell if it was physical or mental, internal to him or external to the base, but she knew that he needed attention. If she let herself stop and dwell on the depth of her connection to the smuggler, Leia knew she that would be too terrified of their intimacy to act on her feelings. So she focused instead on the basic steps leading to his bedside: pulling on her warm boots, slipping into her parka, stopping to activate the door sensor. Once in the hall, Leia briskly made her way to the med lab. The uneasy feeling grew the closer she drew to Captain Solo's room.

The night nurse raised an eyebrow when she entered the east wing. "May I help you?"

Leia tried to pull herself together by using her most regal tone. "I need to see Captain Solo," she began smoothly. "He ... uh ... he comm'ed me," she finished with a bald lie.

The nurse's other eyebrow raised to match the first. "Mmm, hmm," she said, nodding conspiratorially. "You were never here, were you?" She gave Leia a knowing smile. "Be quick about it. There's a shift change in an hour."

Leia hurried down the hall, hoping that the night nurse wasn't friends with anyone in Rogue Squadron. Peeking into Han's dimly lit room, she could tell from his snoring that he was sound asleep. _How foolish of me! Of course he is. Everyone's asleep. It's the middle of the night. I was a bantha brain to come here._

She was about to leave when Han cried out, "Mother! Please don't leave me!"

Leia's eyes widened. Han sounded like a lost little boy, terrified and alone. Her heart constricted from his pain and she walked briskly to his side. He began to thrash about in the bedsheets; Leia worried that he might pull out his IV or damage the ring of wires around his head. One glance at the monitors behind Han told Leia what she already knew: he was obviously in distress.

She grabbed his hand and squeezed. "Shh, Han, it's okay. You're all right. You're in the med lab."

"Where's my mother?" Han's voice reflected abject terror. His eyes flew open, but it was clear that he hadn't yet come back to himself.

Leia gently stroked his arm to wake him up. "She can't be here right now, Han honey." She spoke through tears. "But she loves you very much."

"Leia?" Han's voice was once again his own, and Leia found herself, once again, hugging him in relief. She wiped her tears with the back of her hand. "Why are you crying?" he asked, genuinely confused.

She squeezed his hand a second time. "I've done nothing but cry since I saw you last," she admitted. "I think you broke me." She gave him a tired smile, which he didn't return. Leia tried a different tactic. "You were having a bad dream. About your mother."

Han stiffened and closed his eyes. "Oh." His voice was calm, but the monitors he was tethered to told a wildly different story. That one word was packed with unspoken tension.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she ventured. "You keep looking for her in your sleep."

"She left me in the Blue Sector of Coronet," Han explained, his voice clipped and void of emotion, "when I was four. I never saw her again until after she died." He swallowed, hard, and Leia watched his face grow blotchy as he fought to maintain control.

She opened her arms. "Can I hold you?" She hoped that she could calm him down before one of the pieces of monitoring equipment sounded an alarm.

Han opened his eyes and regarded her warily. "Maybe. Why now?"

She smiled at him. "A good friend of mine once told me that's okay to be human," she said softly. "That goes for you, too, nerfherder."

Han gave her a crooked smile. He didn't crack a joke about the depth of their "good friendship" as she had expected, but he did slide over to make room for her on the bed. Like the night on his refresher floor, Leia cradled Han's head in her lap. But with the monitor and attendant wiring in place, she could only stroke one cheek and the crown of his head. As she rocked him, two fat tears slid from Han's eyes, leaving Leia with a lump in her throat.


	12. Chapter 12

My thanks to Freshman11, MultiFandomGirl1424, StatsGrandma57, ccp, EsmeAmelia, MrsScruffyNerfherder, jeanmarie3, and Book girl fan for your continued support, and to my son for beta-reading.

Note: As a migraine sufferer myself, I can say that there's definitely a lag time between a migraine trigger and a migraine. But I'm ignoring that little fact for this chapter.

* * *

Leia startled awake when Dr. Algers came in several hours later to check on her patient. The young woman smiled at her, a finger pressed to her lips, indicating that she didn't wish to disturb Han while he was sleeping in Leia's arms. Yawning, the princess watched as the doctor examined the monitoring feeds behind Han's bed and frowned.

"What's wrong?" Leia whispered.

The woman again put a finger to her lips and indicated that Leia should follow her out into the hall. The princess gently transferred Han's head from her lap to the pillow and slid out of his medical lab bed. Dr. Algers led her to a private conference room.

"I'm concerned about Captain Solo's condition," the doctor began. "He's developing another migraine now, in the absence of any external stimuli. He's self-reported temperature extremes and air pressure changes as migraine triggers, but I suspect that we're missing a piece of the puzzle. It's going to be difficult to find an effective treatment for him without a complete understanding of what triggers his migraines. How long were you with him tonight? Did anything unusual occur? Did he say or do anything to indicate there was a problem?"

Leia thought of Han and his recurrent nightmares about his mother. It occurred to her that he'd also developed a migraine after the previous nightmare she'd witnessed. She bit her lip. This was not the kind of information that Han would want anyone to know.

The doctor read her indecision. "Princess, here's my concern. We don't have unlimited time or resources to treat Captain Solo. The man obviously has a serious problem and I would sincerely like to help him. But we're in the middle of a war. There are injured Rebels who are going to need these med beds. We have to move forward on his case or we may have to release him without a solution. I'm not sure he'll legally be able to pilot starships if that occurs. If you know anything that might shed some light on his case, please let me know."

Leia folded her arms. _Han, I'm doing this for your own good._ "He has nightmares," she said carefully, not wanting to reveal the reason behind them. "That's why I came to see him tonight."

"Do you know how often he has them? Do they track with his migraines?"

"I don't know, but Chewbacca the Wookiee might. He would talk to you if he thought it would help Han. I can think of one other time recently where a nightmare about his mo ... uh ... a nightmare preceded the migraine."

The doctor frowned at Leia. "The same nightmare preceded both migraines?"

"Yes," she replied, feeling guilty that she had exposed such a crack in the Captain's armor without his consent. Han was not going to like this.

The doctor nodded, and Leia could visualize her mentally checking off various boxes in her mind. "Thank you, Princess Leia. Of course, this conversation will remain confidential. But I may order some new testing for the Captain, based upon what you've just told me."

Leia walked back to her quarters with an uneasy sensation in her gut. After lying awake for another standard hour, she slept fitfully the rest of the night. The princess had a very bad feeling about this.

* * *

Leia didn't have a chance to visit Han until late afternoon the next day. Peeking into his room in the med lab, she could tell that he didn't feel well just by looking at him. Beneath the crown of wires his face was ashen, and there was a v-shaped swelling between his eyebrows, giving Han a pained expression that Leia was starting to recognize as his migraine face.

She walked in quietly so that she didn't aggravate his headache further. "Hi, Han," she said softly.

He barely regarded her. "Princess." There was no warmth or pleasure in his tone; it appeared that he was barely able to speak to her civilly.

_He knows_, Leia thought. _He knows I've spoken with Dr. Algers and he's already shut me out._ The pang she felt in her heart was as intense as it was unexpected. "Han ... I didn't have a choice." He turned pain-filled eyes to her, just for a moment, before the walls went up and his hard look froze her out. Leia rubbed the goosebumps on her arms. "She needed to know more about your migraine triggers. They were going to discharge you without - "

Han held up a hand to silence her. "Three standard hours," he growled. "Three standard hours of psycho-kriffing-testing sithspit because you couldn't keep your blinking mouth shut."

His irritation sparked her own. "The doctor asked me, Han! She asked me because - "

He pointed a finger at her. "Look, your Worshipfulness. I don't need that kind of help. Now they've got some psycho-frink doctor coming in here to talk to me about my feelings about my mother." His glare could have melted durasteel. "Where in the nine hells of Corellia did they get that information?"

Leia shivered. "Han, I never said anything to anyone about your - "

"Who else would know?" he barked back.

"Chewie? Luke? How should I know?" she snapped in frustration.

"I know it wasn't either of _them_." Han's voice was a vicious whisper. "I can trust _them_." With that, he turned his head away from her and closed his eyes, effectively shutting her the rest of the way out.


	13. Chapter 13

My thanks to EsmeAmelia, Anonymous Pr!ck, MultiFandomGirl1424, jeanmarie3, Guest, and Book girl fan for your reviews of the previous chapter, and to my son for beta-reading. This chapter is for EsmeAmelia, who picked up that Han's mother was a key element of this story long before I did.

* * *

"Post-traumatic stress disorder?" Leia repeated, her teacup halfway to her lips. She set the cup down so that she didn't spill the tea. "Where did you hear that?"

Luke looked down at his bowl of steamed phraig rather guiltily. "Wes Janson. He and the Rogues were talking about it." He slurped a spoonful of blue milk.

Leia frowned. "And where would he get that kind of information?" she asked indignantly, thinking of her own visits to the base psychiatrist to deal with the mental aftermath of Alderaan. _I'd be mortified if anyone knew._

The young blond sitting across from her shrugged. "Wes is dating a girl from supply who's friends with a girl whose roommate enters the medical codes ..."

"So the whole base knows," Leia interrupted. Her heart sank. _Han will never forgive me for this._

"I probably shouldn't be spreading gossip either," Luke admitted. "But I thought you'd want to know."

Leia gave him a sad smile. "How's he doing today?" She hadn't seen Han in three days.

The grin on Luke's face told her the answer. "I think the new treatment's working. Finally! Han's back to playing sabacc. He won ten credits off me." At Leia's pained expression, Luke reached out a hand and clasped her wrist. "For what it's worth, I think you did the right thing." As her eyes narrowed, Luke clarified, "I would have told the doctor about his nightmares, too, if I'd known about them." He let go of her and added, "Although I probably wouldn't have mentioned anything about his mother."

"I never said anything about Han's mother!" Leia yelled, and several other patrons of the mess hall turned to stare at them. She lowered her voice. "I only mentioned his nightmares, not the reason behind them."

Luke shook his head. "Han's convinced you did."

"I'm well aware of that," Leia snapped, folding her arms. "He left a standing order barring me from visiting him in the med lab." In a softer voice, she cajoled, "Do you think you could talk to him again? Convince him I was only trying to help?"

Her friend sighed. "I can try, Leia, but I can't promise anything."

* * *

For the rest of the day, Leia remained on high alert, waiting for a comm that never came. She finally fell into a fitful sleep punctuated by nightmares. A woman who looked like Han was tortured and fatally shot. In the dream, a little boy tugged at her sleeve. "Where is my mother?" he asked.

Despite the late hour, Leia grabbed her comlink off the nightstand. "Han, are you okay?" She didn't expect an answer, but she couldn't relax after those terrifying images had filled her mind. Once again, she dressed in the middle of the night and ran from her quarters to the med lab.

"You're not allowed in there." The night nurse caught Leia before she could enter Han's room.

Leia turned desperate eyes to her. "Could you please check on him for me? I know something is wrong."

The woman raised an eyebrow at her. "Not one of them Jedi freaks are you?"

Leia frowned and folded her arms. "Please."

Peering through the window, the night nurse shrugged. "He's asleep."

"I'm well aware of that! He's having another nightmare. Comm Dr. Askara now!" Leia snapped, wondering at the outside edges of her mind how, exactly, she knew with such certainty.

As the night nurse gave her an incredulous look, two things happened at once: an alarm sounded in Han's room and Chewbacca the Wookiee ran out and howled.

* * *

Leia paced the halls of the med lab, Chewie at her side. Luke ran down the corridor and embraced them. "What's going on?"

"Han had another nightmare," Leia said with a sniff. She wiped one eye with her sleeve. "He pulled out his IV and ripped off the migraine monitor before he woke up. Dr. Askara is with him now."

Chewie stood at the doorway, peering in the window, whuffing softly. Luke patted him on the back. "He'll be okay."

From her own experience with flashbacks, Leia knew the routine: bilateral stimulation of the brain combined with relaxation therapy and calming techniques to help reduce the severity of the patient's traumatic memories. Her own flashbacks of Alderaan's destruction and her torture at the hands of Darth Vader had diminished considerably under the careful guidance of the Twi'lek healer. She wondered if the healing process was different if the traumatic memories were rooted in childhood.

Shaking away her thoughts, Leia looked at Luke curiously. "Why are you here? It's the middle of the night."

Luke turned toward her and shrugged. "I dunno. Something just felt wrong." He gave her an appraising look. "What about you?"

She stared at the floor. "I know it sounds strange, but I think I had a nightmare about Han's mother." Leia raised her eyes to Luke and spoke in a soft voice. "I think he witnessed her murder."

* * *

Although this is a work of fanfiction - and I am no doctor - I wanted to note two things. Studies have shown that people with migraines are more likely to also have post-traumatic stress disorder. And EMDR - Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing - is a real technique used to help people with PTSD, although it is far more complicated than what I refer to here. In our world, people don't stimulate the brain directly, but I thought that since _Star Wars_ seems more advanced medically, maybe they can do that there. Plus, I want Han to recover quickly!


	14. Chapter 14

My thanks to StatsGrandma57, MrsScruffyNerfherder, MultiFandomGirl1424, freshman11, Book girl fan, and EsmeAmelia for your continued support. This chapter was hard to write. I'm trying to ease this story back to canon, which is proving difficult. Let me know what you think! And, as always, thanks to my son for beta-reading.

* * *

Leia sat alone in the private conference room of the med lab, waiting for either Luke or Chewie to return and fill her in on Han's condition. Han still refused to see her. And what was worse, his psychiatrist - _my psychiatrist too, the traitor_, she thought angrily - had agreed that their continued separation was a good idea.

She thought back to when the Twi'lek had emerged from Han's room earlier that night, head bowed, brain-tails drooping, appearing both fatigued and relieved. "He's moved through the worst part of the memory," she had told the two worried humans and one impatient Wookiee waiting in the hall. "He needs rest now. I've requested that someone remain with him at all times for the next standard day - "

"A suicide watch?" Leia had interrupted, cold fear gripping her heart. _This can't be happening_, she remembered thinking, _not to Han. He's too strong for that. Or is he?_

Dr. Askara had given her a sad smile. "His childhood memories are returning, and with them, the feelings of helplessness and anger that he suppressed as a child. He needs the support of his friends right now." Luke and Chewie had nodded and moved toward Han's room, but Dr. Askara had blocked Leia's path. "I'm sorry, Princess. Captain Solo knows that you are here to see him and he is grateful for your support. However, he does not wish to see you."

Leia's mind had gone blank, as if someone had erased every stray thought from her head with a vicious slap. When she came back to herself, it was with a cold feeling of dread. She had a hard time remembering anything the woman had said after that.

_What did I do to deserve this? _she wondered now. _It's not my fault that I dreamt of his dead mother! He's connected to me too, or I wouldn't have felt his pain._ And yet, now that she had shared his fear and loneliness, Han had severed their connection. Shivering alone in the empty conference room, she felt the aching loss of him deeply. Before, when he was merely angry, he had simply avoided her. Now, it felt as though he had erected a wall around his heart. _Or maybe_, she thought sadly, _a wall around mine._

In the silence of waiting, Leia fought waves of panic and tried to focus on her breathing. _What's going on in there? _She ached to touch him, to reassure herself that he was real, that he hadn't gone anywhere. She hadn't realized the depth of her feelings toward the space pirate until he had pushed her away.

_Am I simply toxic to everything and everyone I care about? _The devastating pain of losing Alderaan - her childhood friends, her father, her homeland - blended with the crushing loss of losing Han just as she was beginning to discover him. _It's not fair._

And yet, Dr. Askara had sided with Han. "I agree with Captain Solo that he should limit his time with you until he feels he is ready," she had said.

_What does that mean? _Leia pondered. _Ready for what? So Han gets to set the terms of our relationship and I get ... nothing?_ She paused to collect her thoughts. _Wait a minute. What am I saying? Our relationship? Do we even have a relationship? Maybe I've just been deluding myself ..._

The door to the conference room burst open, scattering Leia's thoughts, and Luke stumbled in, looking haggard. Leia barely managed to ask how Han was before the young blond started to cry.

"He's ..." Luke sniffed, trying unsuccessfully to compose himself. "I don't know, Leia! It's like he's lying there but he's broken into a million pieces and I can't stop feeling his pain and it hurts," Luke's voice broke. "It hurts so much!" He dropped into Leia's arms, sobbing, and she wrapped her arms around him, trying to console him as if he were a small boy.

"It's okay, Luke, it's okay," she whispered into his shaggy blond hair. "Remember to breathe. You did what you could." Thinking of Han, alone in his hospital bed, unable to express the anguish that Luke so easily shed for him, Leia pushed the young man back gently and asked, "Chewie's with him now, right?" Luke nodded. "Okay," she said. "You need to get some sleep. You have to take care of yourself to be able to help him." And Luke had looked at her, adoringly, and Leia knew that at least she had the ability to bring comfort to someone.

* * *

The next few days brought unending anguish for Leia. She had to endure base whispers about her relationship with Han at the same time that she dealt with the loss of his presence in her life. Luke was kind enough to seek her out several times a day to reassure her that Han really was doing better. After the pain of that first night, Luke arrived without tears. But receiving updates through Luke was nowhere near the same as seeing Han for herself. She wanted to sneak into the med lab and peek into his room, but she was a princess of Alderaan for gods sake, and she knew that kind of pathetic, lovelorn behavior was beneath her. If Han Solo didn't want to see her, fine, she didn't want to see him either. She tried so hard to make herself believe the lie.

* * *

"Leia?"

The princess was startled awake by a knock on the door to her quarters. Her heart spasmed wildly at the sound of his voice. "Han?" She jumped up from her afternoon nap and rushed to the door to release the lock.

He stood on the other side of the door frame, dressed in his usual spacer's attire, appearing hale and hearty, although a bit thin. He gave her a crooked smile. "They finally sprang me from jail," he joked, looking down at her.

She only stared at him, a hand to her mouth, tears leaking out of her eyes.

"Hey," he said. "It's me. I'm fine." But he didn't come forward to console her, didn't wrap his arms around her back, didn't kiss the top of her head. Leia swallowed, hard.

She swiped a sleeve across her eyes and wrapped her arms around her waist. When she spoke, the ice princess was back in control. "I'm glad you're feeling better, Captain."

"Yeah, well," he said, and it was in that hesitation that she picked up on his discomfort. "We need to talk."

"Do you wish to converse here or aboard the _Falcon_?" Leia was aware that her speech was overly formal, but she had no idea how else to contain her feelings. She longed to reach out and grab him and cling to him and cry out and feel ... something. Instead, she bundled herself up in her princess persona, feeling cold and dead inside.

"Here is fine, if you don't mind." He stepped just inside her quarters and leaned against the door frame, arms folded. She resealed the door and waited.

_Here it comes_, she thought. _He's going to leave. He's done with me, the Rebel Alliance, everything._

"You and me, uh, we've been through a lot together recently, and ..." Han Solo ran a hand through his hair. He appeared flustered, and Leia knew that he was a man who rarely, if ever, showed his discomfort. Either he wasn't as recovered as he thought, or this conversation was very hard for him. She touched his arm and he pulled it back. "I want you to know that I appreciate everything you did for me when I was in the med lab. The doctors finally found a combination of medicines that work to prevent my migraines and, uh, talking to that tailhead about my mother is helping some, too." He met her eyes briefly and she read his unspoken apology.

She tried to search his eyes further, but he dropped his gaze and refused to look at her. "But?" she whispered.

"I ... I care for you a lot as a friend, Leia," he started, staring at the floor. "But I don't think we should see each other right - "

"How dare you?" she hissed, and his head snapped up in surprise. "How dare you do this to me! I opened myself up to you and this is what I get in return?"

"I opened myself up to you and I landed in the psych ward of the med lab!" he thundered in reply. "Don't you go telling me how hard this is for you, your high-and-mightiness! You have no idea what I went though or how hard it was for me to get back here."

"Only because you shut me out!" She choked over the words. "You wouldn't let me be there for you." And then she was crying, anguished tears of pain and loss. He moved awkwardly toward her, but she held up a hand. "Don't. Don't comfort me because you feel obligated." She raised tear-filled eyes to him. "I'm not your obligation any more!" She threw herself on the bed then, sobbing. In the back of her mind, she could hear her father's voice, telling her this was not how a princess should behave. It only made her cry harder.

She felt Han sit next to her on the bed. "Hey," he said, rubbing her shoulder. She could feel the tension in his touch, radiating from his fingers. He didn't want to be here, she was sure of it. He was afraid of her, afraid of what loving her might do to him.

Leia pulled herself into a ball and glared at him. "You want to know what it feels like to care about someone in pain and have them shut you out? Fine. Get out!" She pointed at the door. "I don't want you here."

"Leia," he tried.

"Get out, Han," she said, though sobs. "I meant what I said. I don't want you here." _Not if you don't want to be here._

As he left her room, her cries of anguish only intensified. _Gods, Han, I miss you so much._


	15. Chapter 15

My apologies for taking so long to update. I wanted to bring this story back around to the beginning of _The Empire Strikes Back_, but it has proven a challenge. I went back and listened to the audio drama about Ord Mantell for inspiration, and some of this chapter is loosely (very loosely) based on that recording.

My sincere thanks to my son and 2Old4This2 for beta-reading. I also appreciate the comments from StatsGrandma57, Freshman11, violetkitty, 2Old4This2, MultiFandomGirl1424, Book girl fan, and EsmeAmelia.

Freshman11: By mentioning canon, I meant that I am trying to put this story back in line with _ESB_. I let Han and Leia get very emotionally close in this story, closer even than I had realized, and it's been hard to push them back apart.

EsmeAmelia: You make some good points here. I am hoping to slip more in about Han's recovery as we go, but he's been pretty closed-mouthed at this point. Maybe I should have done a chapter from someone else's POV, but I gave myself the challenge to stick with Leia and try to tell the whole story. We shall see ... As for Leia over-reacting, I figure she's been pretty sheltered with regard to her suitors and has never really been in love before. Not that she realizes that she's in love even now ...

* * *

Leia lifted her head from the tear-soaked pillow and wiped her eyes. _I've made such a fool of myself_, she whispered into the darkness of her quarters.

Reluctantly, Leia admitted to herself that Dr. Askara had been right. The base psychiatrist had warned Leia that her heart was fragile right now, that it was too soon after the loss of Alderaan for her to seriously consider a relationship with anyone. Yet Han had made her feel alive again and the emotional closeness had seemed to be worth the risk. Only now, when her tears over Han had quickly morphed into sobs over the loss of her family, her friends, and her home planet, did Leia doubt her decision.

_He's not worth it,_ she concluded. _Han Solo is too shallow and vain to be worth my heart. He only thinks of himself. He flirts with everyone on this base. I was just stupid enough to fall for it._

But she couldn't stop herself from recalling the tender way that Han had held her when she cried in his arms at the med lab, the open vulnerability he had shown her aboard the _Falcon_, or the way he had stood up for her honor to General Rieekan. Her heart vigorously defended the smuggler: he'd been ill, he was scared, he was going through something horrible and painful with his recently recalled memories of his mother's death.

_Give him some space_, her heart whispered, _he'll be back, you know how much he cares for you, he's just going through a lot right now._

But her head refused to listen. She set her heart aside and let her emotions harden like the ice walls of her quarters on Hoth. Han Solo had made it clear to her that he just wanted to be friends, if even that. Leia Organa wouldn't be taken for a fool. _He's a coward_, she told herself. _When things get complicated, he runs like a child._ She cast every past interaction with Han through a lens of hurt and anger; he came up short every time.

* * *

Hours later, there was a knock on her door. Her heart fluttered at the thought of Han standing on the other side before she cursed herself for her weakness. She reminded herself that Han Solo was unreliable and a scoundrel. Images of her father instructing her on the dignified way a princess should behave flooded her mind.

At the sound of another knock, she drew in a deep breath, set her face like durasteel, and reluctantly made her way over to the entry. She released the lock and the door hissed open.

"Luke!" Leia hadn't expected to see the farm boy on the other side. "What are you doing here?"

The young man shook his shaggy mane of blond hair. "I'm worried about Han."

Leia's eyes narrowed. "I'm sure that Captain Solo is just fine."

Luke looked through his bangs at her, blue eyes pleading. "He's not okay."

Frowning, she admitted Luke into her quarters. "What's wrong?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I went to talk to him tonight and he was so distant." Luke looked at her with earnest eyes. "Look, I know that Han can be cold sometimes, but this was different." He struggled to find the right words. "It's like his spirit has been ground down."

Heart pounding, Leia asked, "Did he say anything?"

Luke shook his head. "I'm worried that he's not feeling well and he's afraid to admit it. The doctors warned him that the new meds he's taking could have side effects."

This was something Leia hadn't considered. Han had shut her out since his diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder. She knew little of his current medical status and she hadn't felt comfortable asking. Too many people would ask why she wanted to know.

_And Han doesn't want me to know_, she reminded herself, a thought that quickly devolved into _Han doesn't want me_.

"I thought maybe you could try talking to him," Luke said.

For Luke's sake, Leia considered this for a moment before shaking her head. The wound was fresh and far too deep. "Luke, that's ... that's not a good idea." _Han rejected me! _"Captain Solo and I are ... er ..."

"You had another fight, didn't you? Well, that would explain why Han was acting so strangely. He was talking about leaving again." Luke stared sadly at his boots.

Leia felt dizzy. _Leaving? Gods, he really is a coward!_

"But General Rieekan stopped to talk with us and he convinced Han to take on another mission before he goes."

Leia set her conflicted feelings aside. "What sort of mission?"

"Rebel intelligence located a freighter from the Leilani Shipping Company on Ord Mantell. It used to be a Rebel ship. They're hoping we can steal it back. We need the supplies."

She grasped the wall for support. _No, it couldn't be ..._

"Leia, are you all right?"

"That was my father's ship."

* * *

General Rieekan didn't seem all that pleased to find Leia and Luke at the door of his quarters; it was late enough that he stood before them in his pajamas. But when Leia explained her reason for coming, the man broke into a rare grin.

"I had no idea that your father had invested in a shipping company! Are you saying there may still be credits stored aboard that ship?"

Leia nodded. "My father kept a stash of emergency funds in a secret safe aboard every vessel in the fleet." She swallowed hard. "Of course, most of the vessels were docked on Alderaan."

"And you have the key to this safe?"

Leia held up her hand. "It uses palm print recognition. Only an Organa family member can open that safe. And I have the override codes needed to steal the ship. The override codes use a combination of numbers and voice recognition. You need either the override codes or the main pass key to take control of the ship. The Imperials must have the pass key."

"I appreciate this information, Princess. Please set up a briefing for tomorrow morning at 0800 standard hours for all interested parties. That would include you, Mon, Luke, Captain Solo, and myself. Your team will depart soon after."

"Of course, General."

After the door of Rieekan's quarters slid shut, Leia turned to Luke. "Please tell Mon Mothma about the meeting." She steeled her gaze. "I shall personally give the message to Captain Solo."

Luke picked up on her discomfort, which wasn't hard because it was radiating off of her in waves. He gently touched her arm. "I can take care of that, Leia."

She shook her head. "I need to do this, Luke. For the sake of the mission." She laughed, an awkward, forced sound. "Captain Solo and I need to reach an agreement."

Luke cocked his head at her, looking not unlike a lost nerf. "If you say so, Leia," he agreed uneasily. "See you in the morning."

Leia turned the opposite way and headed for the _Millennium Falcon_.

* * *

Princess Leia stood before Captain Solo's ship, her stomach in knots. She did not want to see this man, the one who always stirred up such a violent storm of her emotions. _I have to do this_, she told herself. _For the sake of the Rebellion._ She knocked loudly on the hull.

When the entry ramp dropped, Leia and Han locked eyes. She read pain and confusion there before he covered his vulnerabilities with a smug veneer of bravado.

"Your Highnessness," he drawled. "That didn't take long. Decided you can't live without me?"

She fought an urge to slug him as she ascended the ramp. "I am here in an official capacity only, Captain Solo." When they stood face to chest, she lifted her head and studied him through narrowed eyes. "I need to ascertain your fitness for service."

Han crossed his arms and glared down at her. "I'd have been cleared for service a hells of a lot sooner if you'd just kept your mouth shut."

She didn't rise to the bait. "You needed medical treatment, Captain. I ensured that you received it." Leia sighed and shook her head. "I didn't come here to argue with you, Han. I need to know how you're feeling. We can't work together if we aren't on speaking terms." She lowered her inner barriers just enough to give him an earnest look.

He dropped his arms but not the frown. "I'm fine, Leia."

"Luke mentioned that there might be side effects from the medication you're on."

"Luke needs to learn to keep his mouth shut." Leia waited and watched as Han shifted his weight uneasily from foot to foot. He recrossed his arms and looked out of the open ramp across the large hangar before catching her eye. "I haven't been sleeping well," he admitted. His face hardened once the words had left his mouth. "It won't affect the mission."

She took a step toward him, momentarily forgetting her own pain and her vow to keep her distance. "Your mother?" she asked gently.

He gave a curt nod. His body posture remained fiercely guarded, but Leia watched a flicker of pain cross his eyes. She knew then that no matter how cold she might act toward him on the outside, she could never banish him completely from her heart. She cared deeply for him and it was clear to her that he was hurting.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I know how hard it is."

Han didn't say anything. Leia waited for a long moment, but Han remained closed to her. She felt her own resolve to shut him out reassert itself. Her mind insisted that she was foolish to think he'd return to their previous level of emotional intimacy.

_When it comes to matters of the heart, Han Solo is a weakling and a coward, _she told herself. It was the only way she could keep from breaking down.

"Well," she said stiffly, "I trust that you'll be ready for our mission tomorrow."

His eyes widened. "You're coming?"

She frowned at his discomfort and couldn't resist a dig. "I can't live without you, remember?" she said drily. As his eyes widened further, she slugged him on the arm. "It's my family's ship, nerfherder. You need me to get aboard." At his surprised look, she added, "There's a briefing at 0800 tomorrow. Be there." And then she walked down the ramp of the _Millennium Falcon_, all the while wishing she could run back up and hold him.


End file.
